The Christmas episode from 2011 was where the whole
Scenes from an Accidental Courtship series began, so it seemed fitting to write a post-ep for this series from the Christmas 2012 episode.
I'd originally planned for this story to be the last in the series. I thought it would be a fitting way to end the series, to come full circle with Callen and Nell and put a bow on it, so to speak.
Muse, it seems, had other ideas, because this is not the last in the series.
Anyway, Free Ride takes place mostly on board an aircraft carrier, and when the case is over, the team is stuck on board for the holiday. Now that Callen and Nell have taken that last step in their relationship, they don't really want to be apart for Christmas, but the Navy conspires against them.
The genesis for this idea came from Nell and Eric talking in Ops about missing out on celebrating with the rest of the team, who are by now their family. I figured Callen would find a way to at least talk to Nell face-to-face, even if they couldn't be together. So, this turned into a sweet, slightly sentimental story.
And then Kensi walked in and discovered their secret.
This was the point where I decided that the rest of the team should start to figure out that Callen and Nell are seeing each other. So, Kensi becomes the third one to figure it out (after Nate and Deeks-see
Methinks She Doth Protest Too Much and
Two of a Kind respectively). This is the real reason why the series isn't done yet: Muse wants everyone in on the secret before she'll let it go.
It was fun to write that last bit, with Kensi and Callen. In this 'verse, I look at them as being as close as siblings, so I thought it would be important for Kensi to find out and give her stamp of approval.
And yes, the title comes from the Elvis Presley version of the song by the same name.
So, I hope you enjoy this story, and the rest of the series!
Blue Christmas
And the series can be found at:
Scenes From an Accidental Courtship